Flower Boy
by Tsuki no Talia
Summary: His room is becoming a greenery because it's so full of her flowers. He can't help but stop by her shop everyday just to see her smile. "I'm an idiot." He sighs, "Troublesome. Who brings flowers to a florist?" ShikaIno. Oneshot. Slight Au.


**A/N: I got this idea while watching the first episode of Natsuyuki Rendezvous. It is based loosely (I say its quite loose mehe) on this anime.**

It all starts one spring evening. Nothing much is happening, nothing much ever really happens in his life anyway. He's just standing in the middle of the street gazing at the sky as it changes from blue to orange to yellow. The clouds move across the sky slowly and beautifully, stratus clouds, the genius notes dryly.

Maybe he shouldn't be in the middle of the street, but at the moment he's too transfixed to move-or too lazy. He really should've expected someone to bump into him before, but he's thoroughly surprised when he's knocked to the ground along with two huge bags of-something and...a person.

His vision is asserted by pools of blond hair and purple. He doesn't try to shove the person off of him and just seems to collapse against the concrete like he was taking a nap. He figures that it's not too bad on the ground, there's a better view of the sky and he doesn't have to crane his neck to get a good look at it. He sighs and closes his eyes, waiting for the girl to get off him.

She does not get off of him.

She makes some sort of agonized seal noise that eventually turns into a shriek. In fact, she starts kicking her legs in some type of angry tantrum. "Stupid...Sasuke...Stupid Sakura...Stupid stupid stupid! I don't even _want_ Sasuke anymore but Misses Forehead over here seems to think that I still want to steal her boyfriend! All I did was ask if he could do me one stupid favor and help me bring back this stupid soil for these stupid flowers!"

"Um," Shikamaru dares to open one eyelid to see some blond girl _sitting on his chest_. She continues to rant to herself about people he doesn't know- or would care to know because they seem rather rude with the way she's describing them- he lets his head hit the concrete again and stares at the now purple sky.

The stratus clouds are gone now.

He props himself on his elbows and pauses to assess the situation. Some random girl(who is very pretty by the way) is _sitting_ on his chest in the middle of the street as she rants about some pink(she has pink hair...why?) haired girl who has some major insecurity problems to go with her seemingly large forehead. There are two soil bags that look half the girl's size sitting beside his head and arm. "Um..." He starts again, "You're kinda sitting on me."

Her reaction is instantaneous. She stands as if she's been burned and blushes a cute pink. "Ohmygod! Sorry! I'm sorry-I thought-you were-"

"It's fine," The Nara genius slowly lifts him up from the ground. "You want some help?" He gestures to the bags of soil laying on the ground.

"Yeah, thanks, that'd be great actually," The girl says, eyes lighting up with mirth. He notices how blue they are- if he had to pick a color he'd say they were cerulean mixed with a tiny bit of cadmium green- not because he's an artist, just because he simply knows too much about things that hardly matter or have relevance to his life.

"This is bothersome," Shikamaru mutters as he bends over to pick up the bag of soil. "Ugh," He shifts it in his arms and then reaches to retrieve the second one- wondering when he became so nice.

"You didn't have to get both!" The blond girl says, suddenly at his side. She doesn't offer to take them from him though. She skips in front of him and then spins around, walking backwards. "My family's flower shop is just down the street."

"-Watch out for that guy," Shikamaru manages to warn her before she collides with the older man, his voice comes out muffled as the bags of soil are in front of his face.

She dodges the guy with a bounce and a skip- why does she have so much energy? Shikamaru feels as if he's going to collapse under the weight of the dang bags of soil. He doesn't ask for help-though- he has too much pride for that. "How did you manage to carry these by yourself?"

She shrugs, "I'm strong." She grins fully at him and he has to look away before he admits aloud how pretty she is.

Her bad mood from earlier seems to have disappeared and Shikamaru has to listen to the girl(he still doesn't know her name) talk animatedly about whatever she was talking about. He's half listening, the other part of him is trying to keep himself from dropping the bags of soil in his slender arms. Just caused him to offer her his assistance?

She continues to chirp about her day. Usually the Nara boy would find the constant chatter annoying but he doesn't find hers quite as bothersome as other people's useless comments. At least her chatter doesn't lack intelligence though her subjects are about as random as a shuffled deck of cards.

He gives his input every once in awhile, sometimes bits of advice or answering questions she'd asked him. Five minutes later they arrive at the Yamanaka Flower enters the brightly lit store and drops the two bags of soil on the ground, muttering "Troublesome" as he rubs circles into his sore shoulders and arms.

"Thank you so much!" the blond says brightly and then she turns bright red.

Shikamaru regards her curiously he opens his mouth to ask what was wrong with her but she cuts him off.

"Ahh. This is embarrassing. I'm sorry...I never introduced myself or asked your name and I made you carry these bags." She sticks out her hand and grins brightly, "I'm Yamanaka Ino."

"Nara Shikamaru," the boy-genius says, it comes out more like a sigh. Kami he's exhausted. He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks towards the door, "Well, Ino, my mom's going to chew me out for being late..._troublesome_...so I better get going. Nice meeting you."

It really was nice meeting her. He can't say he's enjoyed any other female's presence more.

"Nice meeting you too, Shika-can I call you Shika?" At his hesitant nod she smiles widely, "Thanks for all your help today."

She kissed him on the cheek and twirls back into the flower shop.

Shikamaru lets out one long sigh, runs his hand through his hair. His heart is racing but he won't acknowledge it. He sighs again and looks to the sky.

There's a full moon out and the stratus clouds are back.

-:- -:- -:-

"Son, why is there a garden in your bedroom?" His dad asks curiously one morning over breakfast. He lowers the newspaper to stare at his son who has stopped chewing his Lucky Charms.

"I like...botany.." Shikamaru says, he looks away and decides to fiddle with his iPhone. His father shrugs, it's not unusual for his genius son to be interested in new things. The boy's come home with mice in mazes and microscopes for Kami's sake. It's weird that he has all this educational stuff if he never really uses it, he was clearly born to be a genius because the teenager doesn't exactly put time into his education. He's too lazy.

"Pft!" His mother burst into the room placing a bowl of fruit on the table with a flourish, "Shikaku, the boy doesn't like botany! He likes the pretty blond haired girl who sells him all the flowers!"  
Shikamaru exits the room before his old man can see his blush.

-:- -:- -:-

For a genius, he can't think of any way to get close to Ino other than buying flowers.

He buys flowers everyday. At the same time everyday.

He's sure she's caught on by now. She hasn't said anything though. She suggests what kind of flowers he should get and even went as far as asking if he was getting the flowers for a special someone.

Sometimes he stays after for a while, and they just talk. Well...she does most of the talking...He just listens. They talk until her dad comes down and yells at him or his mom his screeching at him through the phone.

Their friendship has gotten to the point where they can tease each other through texting without them having to say 'lol jk' at the end of each sentence.

Apparently, this is the best kind of progress-or at least that's what Choji told him.

At some point, during all this friendship something changed between the two. It was while they were cloud watching-Shikamaru's idea- when their friendship kinda...shapes into something more. Something confusing for Shikamaru, he probably wouldn't be where he is now if it wasn't for his mom.

"Just ask her on a date already! Don't be such a wuss!" She shoves him out of the out. "I want grandchildren!"

He really doesn't know what he was more shocked at; being called a wuss by his mom or well, his mother asking for grandchildren when he's _only 16._

Well coming from his mom...the last part isn't as surprising.

Anyway, he's back at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, his head his tilted back, he's looking at the sky again. Orange sky with Cumulous clouds today. He thinks he likes them more than Stratus.

He feels a sense of Deja Vu pass through him as he is knocked to from feet. He lands on his back, head hitting the concrete. He has to smile as he feels her on top of him, he doesn't look at her though, he just gazes at the clouds. "Troublesome woman, you have to stop doing that."

"Whatever." The blonde says, her smile is wide and it tells him that this was not an accident.

Shikamaru looks at her curiously but his struck by how pretty she is. His heart is ramming against his ribs again but he ignores its plea for attention. They're staring at each other and Shikamaru shakes his head before letting it drop back to the concrete. He does what would be logical in this situation.

"Go on a date with me."

It is said with such nonchalance that Ino has to punch him. "You don't ask a girl on a date like that!"

He raised an eyebrow as he watches clouds pass overhead. "Was that a 'no'?"

"No!" Ino retorts hotly. She straddling him now. She doesn't seem to realize the heart problems she's giving the poor boy.

"So it's a 'yes'?" He manages to ask.

"Of course." She replied and she smiles and leans over him. "Did you really think I'd say  
no'."

He does not answer.

"I've been waiting forever for you to ask you know. A guy can only buy so many flowers."

He has to roll his eyes at this, he smiles fully and his arms seem to move at their own accord. They wrap themselves around her waist.

"You're comfy," She says folding her arms across his chest and laying her head atop them.

"Yeah, Ino, but I'm not a bed, troublesome woman."

"You most certainly are not!"

"Daddy!" Ino jumps a foot in the air- and also off Shikamaru.

Let's just say the lazy Nara ran faster than he ever has in his life.

-:- -:- -:-

"For a genius, that was pretty stupid." Ino comments as they walk away from the restaurant.

"Yeah yeah," Shikamaru huffs indifferently, "Sorry."

"I mean-" Ino continues loudly, "Who brings flowers to a florist?"

Shikamaru looks at her lazily and shrugs, "I tried."

"Try harder next time! This is our first date!"

He yawns, "Okay..."

She continues to scold, "And stop being so damn lazy, you know you enjoyed yourself and-"

She falls silent when he grabs her arm and looks at her. Shikamaru firmly presses his lips against hers and then straightens up a bit.

She's surprised to find him smirking down at her.

"Ino..." He pulls the blond to him, "You really need to learn how to shut up sometimes."

"Yeah whatever." She happily falls into his embrace and smiles up at him, "Flower boy."


End file.
